Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1/6/26

This privacy policy explains how Paul Clealand collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you use this website or contact us through it.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller is:

Paul Clealand
Windham Road, BH1 4RF
Email: paul@bournemouth-counsellor.co.uk
Telephone: 07838 387 456

Information we collect

We may collect personal information when you:

  • submit an enquiry through the contact form;
  • email, phone or otherwise contact us;
  • use or browse this website;
  • access articles, meditations or other resources on the website.

The information we collect may include:

  • your name;
  • your email address;
  • your telephone number, if you provide it;
  • the content of your enquiry or message;
  • technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and how you interact with the website.

If you choose to include personal or sensitive information in a message, such as details about your health, wellbeing, circumstances or reasons for seeking support, we will only use that information to respond to your enquiry and provide appropriate services.

Please do not send urgent, emergency or crisis information through the website contact form. If you need urgent support, contact emergency services or an appropriate crisis support service.

How we use your information

We use your personal information to:

  • respond to your enquiries;
  • provide information about services you have asked about;
  • arrange calls, sessions or appointments where requested;
  • keep appropriate records of communication;
  • manage and improve the website;
  • protect the website from spam, misuse and security threats;
  • meet legal, regulatory or professional obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

Lawful bases for using your information

Under UK data protection law, we need a lawful basis to use your personal information. Depending on the context, we may rely on:

  • Consent, where you have given clear permission, for example by submitting an enquiry or agreeing to optional cookies.
  • Contract, where processing is necessary to provide services you have requested or to take steps before entering into an agreement with you.
  • Legitimate interests, where we use information to respond to enquiries, maintain website security, understand website performance or manage our services, provided your rights do not override those interests.
  • Legal obligation, where we need to keep or disclose information to comply with the law.

Where information you provide includes special category data, such as health or wellbeing information, we will process it only where an additional condition under UK GDPR applies. This may include your explicit consent, or where processing is necessary for the provision of health, counselling, coaching or wellbeing-related services by a professional subject to confidentiality obligations, where applicable.

Contact forms

This website uses Contact Form 7 to handle enquiry forms.

When you submit a form, the information you enter is sent to us by email and may also be processed by the website to deliver the message and protect against spam. Please only include information that is necessary for your enquiry.

Cookies and analytics

This website uses cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to work properly. For example, the site may set a cookie called enigma_cookie_notice_accepted to remember that you have dismissed the cookie notice. This cookie lasts for up to 365 days.

The website may also use Google Analytics to help understand how visitors use the site. Google Analytics may collect information such as pages visited, time on site, device and browser information, and approximate location. This helps us improve the website and understand which content is useful.

Where analytics or other non-essential cookies are used, we should only use them where appropriate consent has been obtained.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how the website works.

Spam protection

The website may use spam protection tools, including Akismet or similar services, to help identify and prevent spam or malicious submissions. These tools may process technical data such as IP address, user agent, referrer and form submission content.

Embedded content and third-party websites

Pages on this website may include links to external websites or social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram.

If you click a link to another website, that website will have its own privacy policy and cookie practices. We are not responsible for how third-party websites use your information.

Embedded content from other websites, such as videos or social media content, may behave as if you visited the other website directly. These third parties may collect data about you, use cookies and track your interaction with their content.

How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary.

Enquiry information is usually kept for as long as needed to respond to your message and manage any follow-up. If you become a client, we may keep records for longer where required for professional, legal, insurance or safeguarding reasons.

Technical and analytics information is kept according to the retention settings of the relevant service.

Who we share your information with

We may share personal information with trusted service providers who help us operate the website and provide services, such as:

  • website hosting providers;
  • email providers;
  • website maintenance providers;
  • analytics providers;
  • spam protection providers.

We only share information where necessary and expect service providers to protect it appropriately.

We may also share information if required by law, regulation, court order, safeguarding obligation, or professional duty.

International transfers

Some service providers, such as Google or other technology platforms, may process information outside the UK. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards required by data protection law.

Keeping your information secure

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. However, no website or email system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to:

  • ask for a copy of your personal information;
  • ask us to correct inaccurate information;
  • ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances;
  • ask us to restrict how we use your information;
  • object to certain uses of your information;
  • withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
  • complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

To exercise your rights, contact us using the details at the top of this policy.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on this page.